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Public sector corruption in Lanka worsens

The latest corruption perceptions index launched by Transparency International (TI) shows a steady increase in public sector corruption in Sri Lanka this year as compared to the last two years.

On a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels of perceived corruption Sri Lanka has been slapped with 3.1 for this year in contrast to 3.2 last year and 3.5 the previous year.

Sri Lanka occupied the 84th place among 163 countries.

The 2006 corruption perceptions index is a composite index that draws on multiple expert opinion surveys that poll perceptions of public sector corruption in several countries around the world, the greatest scope of any CPI to date, TI said at the release of the index report in Berlin.

“Corruption traps millions in poverty,” said Transparency International Chairman Huguette Labelle. “Despite a decade of progress in establishing anti-corruption laws and regulations, today’s results indicate that much remains to be done before we see meaningful improvements in the lives of the world’s poorest citizens.”

Almost three-quarters of the countries in the latest CPI score below five (including all low-income countries and all but two African states) indicating that most countries in the world face serious perceived levels of domestic corruption.

Seventy-one countries - nearly half - score below three, indicating that corruption is perceived as rampant. Haiti has the lowest score at 1.8; Guinea, Iraq and Myanmar share the penultimate slot, each with a score of 1.9. Finland, Iceland and New Zealand share the top score of 9.6.

TI said the weak performance of many countries indicates that the facilitators of corruption continue to assist political elites to launder, store and otherwise profit from unjustly acquired wealth, which often includes looted state assets.

The presence of willing intermediaries – who are often trained in or who operate from leading economies -- encourages corruption; it means the corrupt know there will be a banker, accountant, lawyer or other specialist ready to help them generate, move or store their illicit income, TI added. (ER)